It was much much cooler today and it should be a great time for Yoga at Republic Square, tomorrow, on Wed, Oct 19 as well as on Wed, Oct 26 from 12 noon to 1 pm, thanks to the generous support of YogaYoga Thanks to our staff member (and yoga class attendee Becky) we have some great new Yoga Class in Action photos. Please join us and thank our YogaYoga instructors and staff for putting on these free classes.
Meet the founding fathers of Mexico – Miguel Hidalgo and Jose Morelos, these busts have moved from Waterloo Park to just north of the deck at Republic Square in part due to the construction of the Waller Creek Tunnel, which rendered them homeless.
Republic Square is a great spot for them. The square was the center of Hispanic Life from the late 1870s through the mid 1910s and was the site of the annual Diez Y Sies celebration, drawing 5,000 to 10,000 people in the early 1900s. There is now a renewed Diez Y Sies celebration is at Republic Square, Thursday, Sept 15, 2011, from 11 am to 1 pm.
Below are another few pictures of Republic Square, we’re setting up for our 2nd annual Cocktails in the Park event tonight - 7 to 10 pm, music by the Orbans – Tickets are $75 and some are still available.
Downtown Park User Study
The Downtown Austin Alliance is looking for volunteers to help with a survey of downtown park users during the months of June, July and August 2011.
The focus of the study will be downtown Austin’s historic Republic Square, Brush Square and Old Bakery. Volunteers will count the number of park users and conduct short interviews. Park observation sessions are in 30-minute intervals, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the specified weeks. Volunteers can sign up for as little at 90 minutes (3 observations) per month and as much as 12 hours per month. Volunteers can even choose to buddy up, one person can count the users and the other can conduct interviews. Please feel free to sign up for as many shifts as you would like. The complete schedule is below. In order to ensure consistency in the study methodology, we are asking that volunteers attend a 1-hour mandatory training session on either Wednesday June 15 or Thursday June 16.
You can choose to observe one or several of the following downtown parks:
Republic Square: between 4th and 5th and Guadalupe and San Antonio Streets
Brush Square: between 4th and 5th and Trinity and Neches Streets
Old Bakery Park: at 10th and Congress Avenue
Summer Volunteer Schedule:
Tuesday, June 21, 2011 Thursday, June 23, 2011 Saturday, June 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011 Thursday, July 21, 2011 Saturday, July 23, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Thursday, August 18, 2011 Saturday, August 20, 2011
Each day has 3 available shifts for each park:
8‐8:30am, 12‐12:30pm or 6‐6:30pm
Orientation Sessions:
Wednesday, June 15: 9-10am Where: Downtown Austin Alliance Office 211 E. 7th street, 8th Floor Conference Room
Thursday, June 16: 6-7pm Where: Downtown Austin Alliance Office 211 E. 7th street, 8th Floor Conference Room
Parking is available at the DAA garage on E. 7th Street between Brazos and San Jacinto. Just tell the attendant you are attending a meeting at the Downtown Austin Alliance.
Questions:
Contact Lauren or Melissa with questions.
Lauren Bennett - Bennett.laurend@gmail.com – 512.999.0379
Melissa Barry – Melissa@downtownaustin.com – 512.469.0476
We had over 300 people enjoy the screening of Casablanca last night at Republic Square. We thought we’d share a few photos taken about 45 minutes prior to the screening which started a little after 8:30 pm.
Our thanks to our screening sponsor – the Downtown Austin Alliance as well as our supporting partners the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department, the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
It’s a free double-feature Wednesday at Republic Square this week.
At noon on Wednesday, YogaYoga will host the second of our weekly Yoga classes from noon to 1 pm. Come on out and bring a yoga mat. No experience is necessary. Last week, we had 96 people attend, but there’s room for hundreds more!
At dusk, we’ll kick our Spring movies series with original SpyKids. Shot in locations around Austin (pick out the spot on Lake Travis where their house is shown!) it’s fun for all ages. Click out the trailer:
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi282722585/
Further, we’ll bring out our Imagination Playground for kids young and old to enjoy prior to the movie. Bring a picnic and enjoy the evening with us.
And coming on Wed, April 27th, the classic film Casablanca!
Our Movies series is brought to you thanks to sponsorships and support from:
Free movies start at dusk. Bring your kids, dogs (on leash), picnics, and blankets. Food vendors will be on site, as well as public restrooms. No glass or styrofoam is permitted.
Transportation Information: Parking is available on the street, with 3 ADA (accessibl) space near the three of the four corners of the park. Please consider walking, biking (bike racks available on Guadalupe and W 4th St sides of the park) or using public transportation – Cap Metro buses 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 17 and 22 all stop within 3 blocks of the park.
Republic Square Movies in the Parks events are co-sponsored by the by City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department. They are produced thanks to funding in part by the City of Austin Cultural Arts Division. Additional sponsors include Amplify Credit Union and the Downtown Austin Alliance.
The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you require special assistance for participation in our programs or use of our facilities, please call 974-6700.
We brought out the Imagination Playground to the Farmer’s Market @ Republic Square on Saturday morning and needless to say, it was an amazing success with an average of 15-20 kids and their parents building all kinds of cool contraptions. The market was busy as always and it was fun to see everyone enjoying a Saturday out at Republic Square.
We loaded up most of the Imagination Playground today and took it over to Republic Square for the last hour of the Austin Farmer’s Market today and – surprise – we had about 20 kids and their parents visit and immediately begin building. Our tremendous thanks to Amplify Credit Union for sponsoring this great product.
We’ll planning a full day out at the Farmer’s Market on March 26th and we’re looking for volunteers to help us set-up, monitor and put away the playground on a weekly basis. If you are interested, please email cmccabe@austinparks.org. And thanks to Paul and DiAnne from Amplify for joining us!
For Immediate Release – March 9, 2011
Contact: Charlie McCabe, cmccabe@austinparks.org or 512.965.1960
Amplify Credit Union and the Austin Parks Foundation unveil the Imagination Playground (AKA Playground in a Box.)
On Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 1 pm at Republic Square Park in downtown Austin, Paul Trylko, President & CEO of Amplify Credit Union and Charlie McCabe, Executive Director of the Austin Parks Foundation will unveil Austin’s very first Imagination Playground, also known as “Playground In A Box.”
Thanks to a generous donation made in concert with the grand opening of Amplify Credit Union’s Congress Avenue location in the Fall of 2010, the Austin Parks Foundation was able to purchase the Imagination Playground. Delivered in early January, the playground makes its debut at Republic Square on the first day of spring break.
Consisting of over 100 pieces of biodegradable, soft, lightweight, waterproof foam blocks, gears, chutes, channels and plugs, imagination playground allows the Austin Parks Foundation to set-up a place for kids and their parents to build anything that they can think of. Stored in a colorful steel box, The Austin Parks Foundation will offer the playground in conjunction with events in downtown parks, including Movies at Republic Square and the Austin Farmer’s Market, pending approval by the City of Austin Parks Department. The playground will be staffed by volunteers whenever it is available for use and all children must be accompanied by a parent or adult when using the playground.
On Saturday, we’ll have a short press event, followed by an hour of letting people explore the Imagination Playground. Please join us! Imagination Playground LLC is a joint effort of Architect David Rockwell and KaBoom! Co-founder Darrell Hammond. For more information, visit www.imaginationplayground.org or call 866-986-5551.
The Austin Parks Foundation connects people to resources and partnerships to develop and improve parks. To learn more and get involved, visit www.austinparks.org.
Amplify Credit Union has served Austin for over 43 years, and its membership is open to anyone living in Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties. To learn more about Amplify, its culture, and its products and services, visit goamplify.com
Don’t Forget that the Austin Parks Foundation is sponsoring two holiday classic movies at a free showing this Thursday, 12/16 at 7 pm. Rudolph and the Grinch will light up our 40 by 20 foot screen and Crepe Crazy and Good As It Gets Kettle Corn will be selling yummy treats. The weather is looking good too, but dress warmly!
Republic Square is located at 5th, Gaudalupe, 4th and San Antonio Sts in downtown Austin. Street parking is available and garage parking for a fee is also available.
The Downtown Austin Neighborhood Association’s (DANA) Downtown Living Tour benefits the Austin Parks Foundation. We hope to use the proceeds to purchase additional park furnishings (ok, chairs for the deck at Republic Square) so please come on out and enjoy the tour! Tickets are $15 in advance, $25 on the day of the tour.
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